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Public Meeting Feb 26: Proposed Ballot Question

By City Staff

NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING

PROPOSED QUESTION ON BALLOT

Notice is being given that the Council of The Corporation of the City of Sarnia will hold a Public Meeting regarding a proposed By-Law to place a Question on the Ballot for the upcoming Municipal Election, under Section 8 of the Municipal Election Act, 1996 on Monday, February 26, 2018 at 5:00pm in Council Chambers, Sarnia City Hall.

Question: Are you in favour of the discontinuance of the fluoridation of the public water supply of this municipality?

Persons wishing to speak to this matter are required to notify the City Clerk on or before noon on Wednesday, February 21, 2018 in order to be placed on the agenda. Please contact clerks@sarnia.ca or call 519-332-0330 x3263 to register.

After receiving input from the public, Council will consider the adoption of the proposed by-law at its regular meeting on February 26, 2018.

If a majority of eligible electors vote on the question, and more than 50% of the votes on the question are “yes,” then the City must notify the Lambton Area Water Supply System (LAWSS) that the City’s position is to cease fluoridation. If the question is rejected, then the City must notify LAWSS that the City’s position is to continue fluoridation.

Under the Fluoridation Act, at least four of the six member municipalities of LAWSS must agree to cease fluoridation and adopt by-laws to that effect in order to implement an affirmative result of the question.

Within 20 days after the Clerk gives notice of the proposed by-law being passed, an appeal may be made by any person or entity to the Chief Electoral Officer of the Province of Ontario on the grounds the question is not clear, concise and neutral, or that the question is not capable of being answered in the affirmative or the negative and the only permitted answers to the question are “yes” or “no”. An appeal shall be made by filing a notice of appeal with the Clerk setting out the objections and the reasons in support of the objections, which shall be duly forwarded by the Clerk to the Chief Electoral Officer.